Anxiety is a normal human emotion, and can happen whenever we’re in a situation where we feel under pressure. Some people call it stress, others may describe it as a feeling of panic or worry. No matter the words we use to describe it, most of us would agree that anxiety is often unpleasant.

Experiencing anxiety that won’t go away or is getting worse, can make you feel strung out, overwhelmed, tired, irritable, helpless, isolated and ashamed. But you are not alone in going through this. In fact, anxiety is the most common mental health condition in Australia. On average, one in four people will experience anxiety at some stage in their life. And every year, over two million Australian adults will have anxiety. Even though anxiety is very common, it often goes untreated – which is why it’s so crucial to know what signs to look out for.  

 
When we experience anxiety, we are often affected by three types of symptoms; unhelpful thoughts, physical symptoms and unhelpful behaviours.